Tallulah Gorge Full Moon Hike (Rabun County, Georgia)

 Early morning's or late evening's are really the only tolerable time to do any hiking at this time of year in Georgia. Tonight, I'm joining a Georgia State Park's Full Moon Hike down into Tallulah Gorge. I'm hoping I'll be able to get a great shot of the moon rising between the tall cliffsides of the gorge, but we'll have to see how the angles work out. It's going to be close.

I arrived about forty-five minute early and decided to head down to see the mighty gorge again before sunset. As always, it's a quite breathtaking site. The surface of the uneven overlook's provide great views, but footing can be a problem. Luckily, the park service has erected a safety fence to keep visitors from plummeting the roughly 1,000 feet to their death in the waterfalls below. I grab a couple of pictures and then head back up to my car. This was also a test to see how voracious the mosquitoes were going to be this evening. Based on the experience, I decided to spray myself down with repellent.

As people were gathering near the visitor's center, I headed over that way and awaited the ranger's arrival. Once she did, she explained the agenda for the evening and then began checking people in. Somehow, I got roped into handing out glowsticks, which served as proof of registration. Not a big deal, but I'm not sure how I was the one she chose to ask for help. Perhaps, I just have a helpful face.

Anyway, we finished getting through the check-in process and began heading down the stairs towards the suspension bridge that crosses the gorge. Though not dark quite yet, it will be soon and better to traverse the stairs with a group this large with as much light as possible. Reaching the bridge, the fifty of us spread out admiring the views of the river far below us. As the bridge gently bounced and swayed under the weight of so many people, I heard a couple of children complain. Their parents explained the nature of the bridge and that it was entirely safe. 

Soon with the sun finally down, we turned to the east in anticipation of the moon ascending up over the treeline of the horizon. Moonrise occurred at 7:20 PM this evening, but down in the gorge and with the cliffs and trees obstructing some of our view, it would be another hour before it might become visible. The sky seemed as though it was going to be cooperative this evening with only a few clouds floating about. Actually, that might even make the pictures better. I picked what I believed would be the best spot and awaited the moon's arrival, but the angle of the canyon and the southern cliffside gave me concern. 

With darkness setting in and still no visible moon, I began to suspect the angles were going to be slightly unfavorable. What I mean is that the moon's path would take it behind the southern cliffside from this vantage point and we would not see it until it had risen above the rim, which would likely be another hour or more. I decided to try my luck from a higher vantage point and left the group. I head back up the 200+ stairs leading to the rim. I needed a workout anyway. Once there, I kept looking for the right break in the tree tops, but it never came. Though the full moon was now visible to me, there was no way to get an unobstructed shot due to the tree foliage. Once back at the parking lot, I settled for a couple of shots, which I think turned out okay. I have to wonder how glorious it would have been to see the moon rise between the cliffs of the gorge, but that will have to wait for another time when the angles line up better. For now, I'll have to appreciate the experience and the shots that I was able to get while I make my way home.

Sunrise from the Summit of Stone Mountain (DeKalb County, Georgia)

With Summer in the Southeast in full swing, hiking during the day can be quite miserable. In order to still get some miles in, I decided to join the Atlanta Outdoor Club early this morning for a pre-sunrise summit of Stone Mountain. The five of us met up near the Confederate Hall promptly at 6:00 AM and after a quick round of introductions, started making our way up the Walk-up Trail to the top of the giant granite monadnock.

As I haven't been doing a lot lately due to the hit and other concerns, I was breathing pretty heavily during the steeper parts of the trail. I also clipped my left foot with a power washer yesterday, which resulted in a friction burn. Though, I put some burn cream and a non-stick bandage over it before putting my sock on, it's still a little uncomfortable to walk on.

There are actually quite a few people on the trail this early morning. I guess this is a pretty popular activity. I chat with my fellow hikers on the way up and eventually, we reach the USGS cap on the top of the mountain. With another fifteen minutes or so before the blazing orange ball of gas bursts above the horizon, we locate a spot to relax and take in the view. When the sun does finally become visible, it is quite glorious. With just a few clouds in the sky near the horizon, it creates a magnificent color palate.

We take in the view for a few minutes and then start making our way back down to our cars. Though this was a very short hike of only about 2.3 miles, the elevation and spectacular scenery made it very worthwhile. And even getting up as early as I did to attend, I have no complaints.

Freeman's Mill (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

 

I'm just out running errands this afternoon, but decided to check out a local park that has been on my radar for a few weeks. Freeman's Mill is a retired and restored grist mill that has been turned into a county park. As I understand it, the site was built just after the Civil War and was in operation until the early 1980's. Since then, the county has acquired the land and decided to turn it into a history lesson and recreational area. 

The parking area had a few cars, but parking was not an issue on this very hot and humid Saturday afternoon. I'm probably an idiot for wanting to walk around this place in the heat, but I was in the general area and it only made sense to check it out. From my car, I walked a short distance down the paved walkway to the grist mill building. A number of educational panels had exhibits have been set up in and around the old building. On the backside and closer to tiny stream known as the Alcovy River, the gigantic water wheel has been preserved. Though somewhat rusty and no longer spinning, the wheel stands roughly twenty-five feet tall. The river is a just a few yards away and after examining the area, I realized they had at one time built a damn on the river and an aqueduct to flow rushing water over the wheel to generate power and then back to the river below. Much of the aqueduct has been destroyed, but it's still fairly obvious how the mill ran.

Before leaving, I walk a short distance along the river and up to the dam, which still has water flowing over it. A couple of large trees have been washed down the creek and are now resting at the precipice of the water flowing over the short wall. It's pleasant here, though incredibly hot today. I can see this being a nice little community park, but there's not a lot of hiking or anything else here to do. I'm still glad I got a chance to visit though.

Broad River Day Paddle (Madison County, Georgia)

Summer is upon us here in the south and with it the heat and humidity can make being outdoors pretty miserable. Luckily, the one thing that makes it tolerable is water. Today, I'll be joining the Georgia Conservancy for a day paddle down the Broad River near the Georgia-South Carolina border. While I do have my own kayak, I didn't feel like loading it up super early this morning and instead opted to rent one from the outfitter the organization is working with for this trip. 

After a drive of about an hour and fifteen minutes, I arrived at the Broad River Outfitters Post and quickly found my group. We did some quick introductions and gear checks before loading onto a couple of old shuttle busses and making our way to the put-in. Along the way, one of the canoes on the trailer came loose and nearly fell off after hitting a stop sign, but we stopped and re-secured it before any real damage was done. 

The put-in requires us to carry the kayaks and canoes down a hill of broken concrete to a sandy section of the small river. We each in turn launched into the water and immediately had to navigate a small rapid with a sharp left hook to it. From there, we gathered the boats and began paddling the river. I prefer sit-in kayaks like my personal one, but I'm using a sit-on boat today . . . and one that doesn't provide much of any kind of back support. That may be a problem.

The Broad River is a tributary to the Savannah River, but we won't be paddling that far. Luckily, we're going south with the current, which is fairly strong and so, it's easy to be lazy when I want to. The water here is muddy, but very shallow and while I can't see the bottom, I occasionally drag across it. I do my best to avoid the underwater boulders and do a pretty good job of it. We hit a couple of sections of tiny rapids, but nothing significant during the first third or so of our voyage. 

At about the four-mile mark, we beach the boats on a large island that splits the river in two before allowing it to rejoin on the far end. We take a lunch break here and I enjoy a peanut butter sandwich that I threw together before leaving the house this morning. As we eat and chat, our guides do some scouting trying to determine our best course for progressing further down the river. They had paddled this area a week ago to get a feel for the challenges, but the water level and rate of flow are a bit higher today changing things a bit. They decide that we should paddle the left side of the island through a couple of class 1 rapids. Anxious to get out of the heat and back on the water, I volunteer to go first, but one other guy beats me to it and quickly makes his way through a couple of quick turns and over a couple of spillways to arrive back at a calm part of the river. I follow immediately after he finishes and enjoy the adventure it. I'm no expert paddler, but this was well within my skillset to navigate. After I get through the rapids, I beach my boat again and away the rest of the group to come through. Surprisingly, everyone makes it safely and no one went in the water. Nice job! 

From there, it's smooth paddling the rest of the way. However, the lack of back support is really starting to be a problem and I find myself stretching my back constantly trying to alleviate some of the discomfort I'm feeling. I'm also noticing that the sunscreen I put on my legs doesn't appear to be having much effect as they start to turn a nice shade of baked salmon.

Another three miles or so and we once again, beach on a large rock/small island on the left side of the river. I take advantage of a large area to lay flat on my back. The rock is very warm from the beating sun and acts as a heating pad on my aching back. I think I actually dozed off here for a few minutes, but soon, I decide to join some of my fellow adventures along the edge of the rock for a dip in the cool waters. With my back leaned up against he rock/island, the pain is held at bay for a bit.

Soon, we're back on the water and making for the finish line. Along the way, we pass one side of an old, abandoned bridge support. I scan the opposite side of the river for its counterpart, but to no success. It's interesting that one would be here in such good condition, while the other is no where to be found. Perhaps, the stones that it was comprised of were hauled off for other projects in decades past.

Finally arriving back at the outpost where we first started, we disembark from our boats and say our goodbyes. It was a great trip and I'm glad to join these good people for it and the noble cause they support. I just wish I wasn't in so much pain. I'm looking forward to sitting back in my car seat. After placing a towel down on my seat to keep it from getting so wet and changing into a t-shirt I brought along, I glance at my GPS tracking app. We paddled about 11.2 miles today and it was pretty glorious. I'm looking forward to getting home though and enjoying my comfortable chair and a cold beverage.